


Somebody to Love

by giggling_bubble



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Developing Friendships, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fighting Demons, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Getting to Know Each Other, Hidden Depths, Personal Growth, Philosophical Discussions, Understanding, cheeto, conceit, enlightenment, falling facades, mindfulness, new outlook on life, no more bullshit, personal accountability, soft chloe, sweet nate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-31
Updated: 2017-08-31
Packaged: 2018-12-21 23:47:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11955249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/giggling_bubble/pseuds/giggling_bubble
Summary: One-shot: Chloe is having trouble coming to terms with her life and who she is. (Impetus not written...yet.) Nathanael just happens to be there at the time to help her figure it out.





	Somebody to Love

**Author's Note:**

> General rating, but there is some cursing.

Nathanael heard a sniffling sound from behind the wall he was leaning against. He’d sat down to sketch a new story idea, but the sniffling was distracting him. Who was there?

 

He crouched down behind the corner and peeked around. His jaw just about hit the floor as he saw Chloe Bourgeois sitting against the wall with a wadded up tissue in her hands. A dark streak dripped down her cheek and she sniffled again.

 

“Why doesn’t anyone love me?” Chloe sobbed.

 

Nate took a deep breath and sighed. He was probably going to regret this later. “Can I ask you a question?”

 

Chloe’s head jerked up to see Nathanael standing above her, “No.”

 

He crouched down to sit next to her, “Do you—“

 

“Stop,” she held a hand up, “I have a feeling we need to have a discussion about respect. One, I never invited you to sit and, two, I said no.”

 

“I asked as a courtesy,” he glared.

 

“Which you’re not going to let me have,” she pursed her lips and smirked at him. He just sat there silently with a guilty look on his face, but didn’t continue.

 

“Sorry.”

 

God, she hated that word, “No, no, no, stop. Speak. Ask me what you were going to ask.”

 

Nate’s lips twitched upwards at the edges, “So do you want me to stop or speak because it’s really hard to—“

 

“Shut up!! Just ask the damn question already.”

 

“You asked why no one loved you.”

 

“You weren’t supposed to hear that, cheeto.” She glowered at her feet and huffed.

 

“Anyway,” he coughed away a laugh at her nickname for him, “Do you think that maybe you should try to love yourself first?”

 

“What do you mean? I love myself! I love everything about me. I have perfect hair, my nails are always done, my clothes are top of the line, I smell delicious, and I’m popular all over Paris. What’s not to love?”

 

“No, Chloe, I don’t mean love how you look or smell or your reputation. I mean, do you love Chloe Bourgeois? The girl beneath the mask?”

 

“I don’t wear a mask,” she smirked.

 

He lifted an eyebrow that said, ‘bullshit.’

 

 “All right, you pain in the ass. I get what you’re saying. I just don’t know. I don’t even know who I am. I really don’t. How can you love someone you don’t even know?”

 

“No one knows you better than you know yourself,” Nathanael pointed out.

 

“Well, shit,” she grumbled and wiped the mascara streaks from her now drying cheeks. Nathanael was cheering her up and she didn’t even realize it. Nathanael chuckled at her outburst. “I guess I’m screwed.”

 

“No,” he said softly and shook his head, “I think you just need to get to know yourself. I’ll help if you want me to.”

 

“Why would you help me, Nate? I’ve only ever been a bitch to you,” she delivered apologetically.

 

“Well,” he shrugged nonchalantly, “Just say I’m curious to get to know you, too. I mean, I might even like you…eventually.”

 

“Don’t push it. I don’t need your optimism this early in the morning.” She tried to scowl, but the corners of her lips twitched.

 

Nate pointed it out, “Liar. I think you want to be optimistic. OH! Rule number one, stop lying to yourself. You can lie to other people, for now, and you can lie to me. Just a warning, I’m calling you out on your bullshit. What you can’t do anymore is lie to yourself. If you can’t be honest with yourself then you’ll never be able to be honest with anyone else.”

 

“Who are you?!” she grinned and gestured wildly at the boy sitting next to her, “Before today I didn’t even know you could speak in complete sentences and here you’re spouting philosophical!”

 

“It’s called being shy, for your information,” he said as he yanked on the front of his shirt and threw his shoulders back in a confident posture, “You’re not the only one with demons to fight.”

 

“Yeah, well, your demons and my demons should get together and die in a fire.” They both chuckled at that.

 

“So…Chloe,” Nathanael extended his hand, “I want to be your friend, a real one, if you’ll let me. If you’re a bitch I’m going to call you one and you have to forgive me.”

 

She shook his hand and blurted, “I don’t have to.”

 

“Shut up. Yes, you do.”

 

Chloe’s eyes widened and she grinned, “Wow, Red, grew a pair in the last…” she glances down at her watch, “Five minutes. I’m impressed.”

 

“No, I just figured out how to see through your bullshit.”

 

“Hey, now, enough,” she warned.

 

He wilted and apologized, “Sorry.”

 

“Oooh, that word. I hate that word.”

 

Nate grinned, “I know. I’ll help you learn how to use it without being so afraid.”

 

“I’m not afraid of it. I just….fine, I’m afraid. I don’t like to be weak or vulnerable.”

 

“See! That’s what you need a real friend for. I’ll help!”

 

“Oh, lord, Cheeto, what have I gotten myself into?” She massaged her temples and sighed.

 

“You’ll learn to love it.”

 

“Go away,” she scoffed in exasperation.

 

“I will, but you remember what we talked about.” He held his index and middle fingers to his eyes, then at hers, and back again to let her know he was watching her.

 

She waved him away, “Yeah, yeah, shoo!”

 

Nate shouldered his bag and chuckled to himself as he walked towards class. Chloe couldn’t help the small smile that broke out on her face. An underclassman walked by and looked at her with confusion. Chloe so rarely smiled so it was understandably shocking.

 

The smile vanished, “What are you looking at, four eyes? Scat!” The underclassman jerked her gaze away and ran. Chloe held her hand in front of her face to inspect her fingernails, “Darn. This will be harder than I thought. I’m a work in progress, Red, a work in progress.”

**Author's Note:**

> More...? Yes? No? Not sure if I wanted/should do anything more with this or not. I just sat down to work on my multiple other fics and this popped out. My brain needs to cooperate or I'm never going to get anything productive done. :/


End file.
